DETAILED ACTION
1. The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
2. The specification, the abstract and the drawings are all acceptable.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
3. The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(2) the claimed invention was described in a patent issued under section 151, or in an application for patent published or deemed published under section 122(b), in which the patent or application, as the case may be, names another inventor and was effectively filed before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
4. Claims 1, 6, 9, 13, 15 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) as being anticipated by USPN 12,347,590 to Rahm.
As to claim 1, Rahm teaches an air cooled resistor arrangement (col. 1: lines 56 – col. 2: lines 12), comprising: a resistor housing comprising an air inlet (fig. 3: “204”), an air outlet (fig. 3: “206”), a first inner wall (fig. 5: “504”) extending in a direction from the air inlet (fig. 3: “204”) to the air outlet(fig. 3: “206”), a second inner wall (fig. 5: “506”) extending in the direction from the air inlet (fig. 5: “204”) to the air outlet(fig. 5: “206”), the first and second inner walls forming a primary air flow passage between the air inlet and the air outlet, a first outer wall extending in the direction from the air inlet to the air outlet, and a first intermediate wall extending in the direction from the air inlet to the air outlet, the first intermediate wall being arranged between the first inner wall and the first outer wall; and a plurality of elongated resistor elements arranged in the resistor housing, each of the plurality of elongated resistor elements comprises at its end portion an electrical connector element connectable to a source of electric power; wherein the electrical connector element of each of the plurality of elongated resistor elements is arranged in a chamber formed by the first outer wall and the first intermediate wall, the plurality of elongated resistor elements extending from the chamber and into the primary air flow passage(fig. 3, col. 9: lines 17-63 & col. 10: lines 23-46 wherein apparatus and method are taught for a plurality of elongated resistor elements to extend from the first side wall to the second side wall and is arranged in columns along a direction between the air inlet and the air outlet wherein each one of the plurality of elongated resistor elements is arranged equidistantly to all its neighboring elongated resistor elements and the plurality of elongated resistor elements extending from one airflow channel to another airflow channel).
As to claim 6, Rahm teaches the air cooled resistor arrangement of claim 1, wherein the plurality of elongated resistor elements is arranged in columns (see fig. 4) along a direction from the air inlet (fig. 4: “204”) to the air outlet(fig. 4: “206”).
As to claim 9, Rahm teaches the air cooled resistor arrangement of claim 1, wherein the chamber is filled with an electrically non-conductive material(col. 2: lines 19-24).
As to claim 13, Rahm teaches the air cooled resistor arrangement of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of elongated resistor elements is arranged equidistantly to all its neighboring elongated resistor elements(fig. 4 wherein each of the plurality of elongated resistor elements is arranged equidistantly to all its neighboring elongated resistor elements).
As to claim 15, Rahm teaches a vehicle, comprising: an electric traction motor configured to propel the vehicle, a source of electric power comprising an electric storage system, wherein the source of electric power is electrically connected to the electric traction motor, and the air cooled resistor arrangement of claim 1, wherein the plurality of resistor elements is electrically connected to the source of electric power for dissipating electric power generated by the electric traction motor during braking(col. 4: lines 65 – col. 5: lines 8).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
5. The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102 of this title, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
6. Claims 2, 4-5, 7-8 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over USPN 12,347,590 to Rahm, and in view of USPN 5,431,548 to Koble.
As to claim 2, Rahm teaches the air cooled resistor arrangement of claim 1.
Rahm does not teach an apparatus wherein the plurality of elongated resistor elements is arranged through a respective through hole in each of the first inner wall and the first intermediate wall.
Koble teaches an apparatus wherein an element is arranged through a respective through hole in the walls.
Thus, it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the
effective filing date of the claimed invention to implement the teachings of Koble into Rahm since Rahm suggests an air cooling control system and Koble suggests the beneficial use of setting up an element arranged through a respective through hole in the walls in the analogous art of cooling control system technology.
The motivation for this comes from the fact that Koble teaches apparatus and method of setting up an element arranged through a respective through hole in the walls which can be used to improve the air cooling system disclosed by Rahm.
As to claim 4, Rahm in view of Koble teaches the air cooled resistor arrangement of claim 1, wherein the first inner wall comprises at least one first through hole for allowing air to flow into a secondary air flow passage formed by the first inner wall and the first intermediate wall(Koble col. 5: lines 9-33).
As to claim 5, Rahm in view of Koble teaches the air cooled resistor arrangement of claim 4, wherein the first inner wall comprises at least one second through hole for allowing air in the secondary air flow passage to flow into the primary air flow passage(Koble col. 5: lines 9-33 & col. 9: lines 7-22 wherein apparatus and method are taught air flow control through holes and walls).
As to claim 7, Rahm teaches the air cooled resistor arrangement of claim 6, wherein at least one first through hole is arranged between the air inlet and the column of elongated resistor elements positioned closest to the air inlet(Koble col. 5: lines 9-33 & col. 9: lines 7-22 wherein apparatus and method are taught air flow control through holes and walls).
As to claim 8, Rahm teaches the air cooled resistor arrangement of claim 6, wherein at least one second through hole is arranged between the air outlet and the column of elongated resistor elements positioned closest to the air outlet(Koble col. 5: lines 9-33 & col. 9: lines 7-22 wherein apparatus and method are taught air flow control through holes and walls).
Allowable Subject Matter
7. Claims 3, 10-12 ,14 are objected to as being dependent upon the rejected base claim 1, but could be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claims and any intervening claims for the following reasons: No prior art of record discloses the features as claimed in the noted claims.
8. The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter. The non-obvious features are:
In comparison with the closest prior art as cited in this Office action and any previous Office actions, no prior art of record discloses the following features as claimed in the following claim limitations:
As per claim 3: A plurality of sealing elements, each sealing element being arranged between a through hole of the first intermediate wall and an envelope surface of an elongated resistor element such that the chamber forms an enclosed space.
As per claim 10: The air cooled resistor arrangement comprises an air flow splitter in the resistor housing, the air flow splitter being arranged at a position between the air inlet and the elongated resistor element, of the plurality of elongated resistor elements, arranged closest to the air inlet.
As per claim 11: A second outer wall extending in the direction from the air inlet to the air outlet, and a second intermediate wall extending in the direction from the air inlet to the air outlet, the second intermediate wall being arranged between the second inner wall and the second outer wall.
As per claim 14: The air inlet of the air cooled resistor arrangement being arranged in downstream fluid communication with the air blower and a source of electric power electrically connected to the electric machine and to the plurality of resistor elements of the air cooled resistor, wherein the electric machine and the air cooled resistor arrangement are operated by electric power received from the electric power system, the electric power system being further electrically connected to the electric traction motor and configured to receive electric power during regenerative braking.
Conclusion
9. The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
USPN 6,430,045 to Everitt discloses a cooling resistor banks.
10. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to DAVID S LUO whose telephone number is (571)270-5251. The examiner can normally be reached 8AM-5PM.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Eduardo Colon-Santana can be reached at 571-272-2060. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/DAVID LUO/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2846